Colourful gemstones, such as sapphires, rubies and emeralds, grace a huge amount of jewellery…[A] new study by SOMO into the supply chain of coloured gemstones; ‘Rough Cut. Sustainability Issues in the Coloured Gemstone Industry’…carried out research into the CSR policy of leading international jewellers: Signet Group...Wal Mart & Tiffany...GemTV...and the leading jewellers in the Netherlands: Bijenkorf and Siebel. SOMO also carried out field research into the working conditions of cutters in Thailand and miners in Madagascar…Child labour, health damage, fatal accidents, low income and work insecurity: it is primarily the miners and cutters who suffer these damaging consequences… “[T]here is still a lack of serious, sector-wide sustainability initiatives within the gemstones sector,”…says [researcher Sanne] Van der Wal